The guest
by LightHarbinger
Summary: A new addition to the animorphs. Will he be what they so desperately need? Or will he be the last mistake the animorphs make?


The Guest

The new kid.

I know the part.

Played it half a dozen times.

My first day at a new school, the kids gave me some curious glances. A few say hi. Most don't. A concerned teacher assigns some suck-up to show me around. Like I need help to find the cafeteria and the bathrooms.

The only kids paying attention to me are the ones I wish would leave me alone. Losers. Too friendly types. The normal ones are too busy with their lives to worry about some new kid.

Lunch. I ate alone at the corner of some cafeteria table.

I can't wait to get out of there. To get off somewhere by myself and blow off some

steam. The final bell is salvation. I left out on foot, exploring my new town.

Not so different from the last one. Dunkin' Donuts. Burger King. Wal-Mart. Home Depot. A

mall with the usual stuff inside: Mrs. Fields, The Gap, Express.

I don't want to go in there. Don't want to face another crowd of strange faces. Instead

I dodged traffic and head into an abandoned construction site.

On one end, a highway. Bands of trees on either side. On the far end, a broad field. A

deserted place. A ghost town. A great place to be alone.

I kicked around for ten minutes. Exploring. Checking out the big piles of rusted steel

beams. Pyramids of concrete pipes. Deep pits filled with black, muddy water. A pile of

gravel. Rocks the size of a Reese's cup.

I pick one up and let fly.

THWONK!

The rock hits the concrete block with a satisfying noise. After a couple dozen throws my

aim even starts to improve.

THWONK!

THWONK!

THWONK!

I land three rocks in a row right on the same spot in the concrete. When the third hits,

the concrete crumbles. Weird. That stuff is usually pretty strong.

Whatever. Time to head home. Dinner with Mom and Dad. Homework. Then the same grind

tomorrow.

Maybe tomorrow someone will talk to me.

I was heading out of the lot when I saw it. A small box nestled down inside the concrete

block that fell apart. Sky-blue. Very plain. Small. Maybe five inches to each side.

Something about it drew me closer.

I glanced over my shoulder before I yanked it out of the block. The box feels heavy for

its size. I felt something when I picked it up. Something like an electric charge. Only it's

not painful. I held the thing up to the fading light. There's writing on it. Not English or any language

I recognized. Maybe it's Greek or Egyptian.

I slipped the box into my book bag. The thing looks valuable. I wondered how much I

can get for it on the internet. As soon as I got home, before dinner even, I post a few

messages.

The blue box is available to the highest bidder.

The next morning I rolled out of bed to my dad yelling and my alarm going off. BEEEP BEEEP BEEP!

"Turn your alarm off!" yelled my Dad down the hall

I snickered as I staggered over and began to fumble with the combo for the alarm. I have a problem with over sleeping, so on a business trip my mom was flipping through a sky mall magazine. She found an alarm clock in a dome with a lock, so once the alarm started you were forced to remember the combination to get it to shut up. I spun the dial 0, 10, 32. _Click._ I pulled the lock and with a sigh of relief clicked the off switch.

I showered quickly and threw on some clean clothes. My dad was in the kitchen making my breakfast (I hoped), and I went to the computer to check for my selling status on the box. I had three bids, which surprised me. I didn't think anyone would care so much about a glowing blue box. I clicked the highest bid which was for... holy crap, 3000 dollars?! Were they out of their mind? I immediately realized that it had to be a scam till I saw the personal message. They wanted to meet as soon as they could to purchase the box. They wanted to meet in person. I felt internal bells going off, I really didn't feel like getting mugged or killed over some dumb box. I logged off and went to the table were my dad had put an omelet in front of my chair. I sat down and he looked up from his food.

"So how was the first day?" he asked nonchalantly

I blinked really slowly and looked up at him, "It was lame. Like a dentist appointment where he surprises you with a root canal."

He choked on his Orange juice and started at me. "Why do you have to be like that? We have moved-"

"Three times," I said interrupting him "And each time it sucks. We spend a year in one place then when I have a nice grasp on something like a life, We move." I said viciously cutting into my omelet.

"Maybe this time we will stay." My dad's tone implied that he hardly believed it himself, I sighed and finished my breakfast. Dad dropped me off at the front of the school and I grabbed my bag out of the back.

"I love you son." said my Dad quickly, like he wasn't trying to embarrass me in front of the other kids.

I reached back into the car and hugged my dad. " I love you too."

A bell rang off inside the school and I hurried off in.

I stared out the window through most of my english class because I had already done most of the work in my last school. All I had to do was just re-write the papers on new sheets and the teacher would never know. A hawk of some kind landed on the tree outside and looked up towards me, I stared back. I lost the staring contest because I don't think that bird even blinked once. Its gaze seem finite in power, so I shrugged and looked to what the teacher was writing on the board. A kid nudged me from behind and I turned to look at him. It was hard to say seeing him sitting be he looked short, he had dark eyes and dark long brown hair.

"Sup, my name is Macro." he said extending his hand.

I took his hand and said "Mackenzie, how can I help you Marco?"

"Well I noticed you're new here-" he started

"Figured that all out by yourself?" I asked

His eyes narrowed and he continued "Yeah I did. But I saw you eating lunch by yourself yesterday, just thought you should join my table to eat."

I looked at the teacher quickly to make sure she was still yapping about about what ever was on the board and then I faced Marco again. "Sure, sounds good. I'll see you there."

My next class was an alright science class since it was mostly labs. It seemed in a few days we would be dissecting frogs. What a joy that would be. My lab partner was some air-head chick who gave me a look that said "You're doing all the work". How lame was this?

After that I had theater arts, and thats where my day took a weird turn. A very beautiful leggy-blond-supermodel type sat in the seat next to me and immediately started a conversation.

"So this has got to be the least of my favorite class out of all of them..." she said in a hushed whisper so the teacher wouldn't catch on.

"Yeah well drama wasn't even my choice. Most of my other classes I had at my old school don't exist here so they just had to randomly place me. So here I am." I said wondering why I was suddenly so interesting today.

"So what's your name?" she asked slightly throwing her hair back. The smell of her shampoo was sweet and overwhelming. I breathed it in like an addict, it was the nicest thing I had smelled all day.

"I'm-" I started to say.

"Mackenzie. Rachel."

We both turned to the face the teacher who was seemed to not be having an awesome day like I was.

"Is there something that is so interesting that Shakespeare must be put on hold?"

I grinned, I loved being on the spot.

"No, Mrs. Connely. I was just explaining it to her." I said still smiling.

"Well please then, explain to all of us then. A quote from Midsummers dream, go." She said this with an attitude that clearly wanted me me to fail. I refused. Not with this girl Rachel sitting next to me.

"Now fair, Hippolyta, our nuptial hour draws on apace. Four happy days bring in another moon, but, o, methinks how slow this old moon wanes..." I said trying to keep from stumbling over my words.

"Ok," she said. "Now explain that quote."

Uh-oh. I couldn't remember what that specific quote meant. Think. Think.

"We are waiting." said Mrs. Connely giving a sweep of her arm indicating the rest of the class.

What the hell.

"Thesues is telling his soon to be wife Hippolyta that he can't wait to marry her and even though its is only days away, he feels like its taking forever?" I hoped I was right.

Mrs. Connely started to fume now that she had called me out and I had luckily saved myself. I grinned big at her showing teeth. She snapped.

"Assistants Principals office. Now."

I heard Rachel snort into her hands and I grabbed my backpack and left the theater.

I walked down the hallway scowling at no one in particular as I thought about Mrs. Connely. She must seriously have issues for snapping like that, she was just mad at losing her own game. Ugh. I walked into the office and tapped the secretary's desk. She looked up from her wannabe salad/noodle thing she was eating and raised her eyebrows, as if to say "What?"

"I need to see assistant principal." I said plainly

"Oh" she said with a full mouth,"the shakespeare kid. Sit there."

Huh, news travels fast.

I plopped down in some chair that had probably been there when the school opened and I began to wait. From the office I could see the cafeteria and the first throng of kids was appearing to eat the awesome lunch this school probably provides. The vice principal opened his door and a man stepped out. He was tall, balding, and he seemed like a worrier to me. He looked right at me and motioned for me to come in.

I walked into his office and sat down while he sat at his desk and shuffled some things around. He clasped he hands together over his desk and looked at me. "So?" he asked.

I was sorely tempted just to say so what? but I was smarter then that.

"I really don't know why I am here sir." I said

"I think we both know why." he said leaning back in his chair

So you know huh? You tell me.

"And why am I here sir?"

"Because you were acting out in class just a little while ago. Mrs. Connely said you were very rude."

"I wasn't rude, "I said defensively "I got caught talking in class, she asked me a question and I answered it. She tried to embarrass me."

"I understand." He said quietly

"You do?"

"Your new here, right smack in the middle of the school year. You're just trying to establish a niche. I was your age once. You're lashing out because you are alone."

I remained silent, he was revving up for something.

"I run a group called the Sharing, here is a flyer." He passed one across the desk."We do fun community projects and we know how to have a good time. There are plenty of people there your age and it would be a great place for you to be."

"Sure." was all I said

"I really want you to consider joining us. We have a meeting tomorrow, I really hope to see you there."

He then motioned for me to leave. "Now you try and have a better day and really consider what I said."

"I will." I said with real sincerity, then to myself "Not."

I looked at the flyer and snorted. This was the lamest thing I had ever seen, there was no way I was going be hanging out with a bunch of losers singing Kum bay ya with the vice principal. I shoved the flyer into my back pocket and headed back to the theater. I walked in just as the rest of the class was getting up to leave for lunch, I passed Rachel who gave me small look and I just shook my head and smiled. I threw my bag into my seat and followed her out the door.

Marco was waiting for me when I sat down with my tray, someone else sat down next to me. He was tall, had brown hair, and a serious look on his face.

"Sup Jake." said Marco "This is the guy I was telling you about."

Jake gave me a sort of appraising look as he was checking for something then he held out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

I shook his hand once. "Likewise, so answer me this. What is Mrs. Connely's deal?"

Marco laughed and Jake shook his head with a small smile. Lunch was a great thing that day.

My fourth block class was a study hall so I just sat there and doodled in my notebook. I tried to draw the symbols that I had seen on the box but they never look quite as cool as they did on the box. What was that box? That was question number one. Who knows? My thoughts strayed to the 3000 dollar offer...was that real? Why was someone so willing to pay so much and so soon? They wanted to meet tomorrow and strike a deal but I needed to know what the allure was. The final bell rang and I jumped in my seat, I hadn't noticed I had spaced out for so long. I shoved my notebook into bag and left the classroom. My locker was near the exit and I breathed a sigh of relief. Today had been a definite change from my first day. I open my locker and pulled the box out from under a jacket. I had hid it there this morning since I didn't want my Dad to stumble onto it while cleaning my room or something. I shoved it into my bag when a voice called out.

"That is a sweet looking box."

I looked to see Marco edging up over to me.

"Hey dude." I gave him a him a high five. I wanted someone to trust in this school. "You like it?"

He laughed and emptied his pockets. "I'll give you a dollar and seventy cents plus some lint for it."

I smiled at his attempt and I zipped up my bag. "Sorry Marco, Its not for sale." I prepared to leave.

"Where did you get it anyway?" he asked giving me a strange look.

"I found it," I said walking backwards towards the door. "At a construction site next to the mall."

He gave a knowing nod and waved. I turned and left with a wave over my shoulder. As I hopped onto the bus I gave a fleeting look back at him. He was in a discussion with Jake and then they both turned to look at me. I shrugged and sat in my seat. "Take me home Sinatra." I whispered as I pulled out my ipod and began to jam.

The bus ride was like any other I had experienced in my meager lifetime and luckily my house was a middle stop so I was happy about that. I wished my Dad could pick me up but then again I was glad that he didn't. Since he worked late and my mom was always away, I had some freedom to myself. I unlocked the front door with my key and stepped into the house. The house was dark and quiet, and I relaxed as I tossed my bag onto the couch. My house was a two story home, smaller then most on this block but really nice. You walked in and immediately you are in the living room. There was a couch facing the Tv with a love seat to the left of it, making a little L shape. The wall to the right of the door was a huge glass door that led to a patio deck. The kitchen was straight across from the living room complete with a dining table and a little island. A little hallway connected the kitchen and my parents room with their own bathroom shower/tub. Behind the couch was stairway that led to my room which hand small bathroom in it. I breathed slowly, taking in my home that was mine for now. I would certainly miss this house, but for now I was my own king. I opened my backpack and pulled the cube out giving it a once over. It still glowed and sitting in my locker had done nothing to kill the excitement growing in my chest. "What are you?" I asked aloud. No answer but just a soft glow and silence. I carried the box up the stairs with me and set it on my computer desk. I logged on the internet and checked my messages. Three new messages from the mystery buyer wanting a reply, I felt glad my profile was private. This guy was creeping me out. I deleted the bid for the box and deleted the profile. Hopefully that was enough to clear my trail. I doubted it but that guy didn't know anything else but that profile so he was out of luck.

I leaned back in my chair and looked out the window, and was surprised. There were dark clouds rolling my way quickly and I could see the trees doing a silent dance with the wind. I opened my window and propped it open with a small piece of wood. The locking mechanism was smashed so I had to improvise. The air smelled clean and charged, like it was waiting for the proper moment to explode. The wind blew into my room cooling me instantly and I sighed, I was hungry. School food was hardly filling and the hunger was calling. I left the box upstairs, killed the light, and headed to the kitchen.

I clicked on the light and grabbed a bowl from the cupboard, then I grabbed a bag of ramen noodles. 90% love, 10% noodle. I laughed aloud like an idiot. I had seen that on a poster the other day and it was always funny. I poured some water into the bowl, tossed the noodles in and hit the microwave button for 2 min._ Bam! _I looked towards the living room as the bowl silently spun with the hum of the microwave. That had to have been the stick from the window falling out. I stood in the kitchen as the noodles spun. _Crash_. I immediately bolted up the stairs to my room, a branch must have slammed against the window from the storm. I flipped the light and I stared in complete shock. Two birds were fighting over the box, each was trying to get a grip and carry it out through my now broken window.

I grabbed a jacket off the door and started to whip it at the birds. They scattered and hopped around dodging my lame jacket whipping skills. A third bird rocketed into my room in attack mode!

Tssseeeeeer!

It swooped in and I felt it cut my arm so I dropped the jacket.

"Aaaahhhhh!" I cried in shock and pain.

One of the birds had successfully grabbed the box and was trying to haul it out the window. I quickly grabbed the the jacket and swung blindly. The bird made a mid-air correction and began to slowly make its way down the stairs. I swung my jacket around my head like a lasso hoping to dodge any bird retaliation. I dropped the jacket and ran down the stairs after the bird with box. I caught up to him in the living room as he was looking for an exit. I snagged the box and gripped it close. That was a mistake.

Tssseeeeer!

Tssseeeeer!

The birds from my room attacked! They swooped down the stairs with a vengeance and began to claw at my head. I had three birds screaming and clawing at me trying to get me to drop the box. I swung wildly with one arm and held onto the box with the other. Like some kind of hunchback I shuffled into the kitchen and looked at the microwave. For a few seconds time seemed to slow as I made a realization, my noodles were done. Then the birds reminded of my current predicament, with a scratch across my head.

I ground my teeth in silent fury and pain as I continued my defensive move. I tossed the the box behind me as I reached my parents room. I was in my parents room and I slammed the door behind me while looking at my dad's dresser drawer. I threw open the drawer, shoving socks and underwear aside till I found it.

"AHA!" I shouted in success

A shiny silver revolver, perfect. I paused for a moment thinking that my dad was never going to believe this. I busted out of room and aimed. No birds. Damn it! I ran down the hallway to see the birds halfway dragging the box up the stairs. I pointed and squeezed. A boom echoed through my entire body, like cannon had gone off.

My ears rang with the shot as I shouted, "Drop the box you crazy birds!"

They had dropped it and they where each sitting on a separate stair.

"Thats my box." I said pointedly and I slowly reached for it as it lay just at the foot of the stairs. I grabbed it quickly and backed up to the patio door.

"You are not normal birds." I whispered to myself as they each flew and landed on the back of the couch. They stared at me and I stared right back with the revolver shaking in my hand.

We are leaving with that box.

My eyes scanned the room and I saw no one.

"Who is there?" I yelled, sounding like some crazy lunatic. "Call off your birds or I'll kill them."

Mackenzie, give us the box and we will leave. You will remain unhurt.

Then it clicked. It was the birds. The birds were in my head. I pointed the gun at each of them, daring one of them to make a move.

"No deal. I don't know what this is but I'm not getting hustled by three birds." I said defiantly

So be it.

I watched in silence as neither of them moved. Did they think I was just going to had it over? They could stare all the want. Thats thats when I heard the noise that told me just how screwed I was.

"Grrooowwwrrrr!"

The very noise shook me to my bones as I turned toward the patio window. A grizzly bear had been running across the lawn, the birds had been stalling. I wanted to laugh, cry, or disappear, just anything to escape. No luck. The eight hundred pound grizzly collided with the patio glass door shattering it into a million pieces. I dropped the box and the gun to protect myself as the bear hit me. I knew I was in the air, I felt the breeze as I went from the living room to the kitchen. I bounced off the island, into the kitchen counter where my legs hit the microwave, I think I saw sparks but I wasn't sure. I fell to the floor with a very solid thud. I was gone.

My eyes opened once.

A bear in my living room.

My eyes closed.

Open again.

A girl picking up the box.

Closed.

Open.

Nothing.

Closed them again.

I opened my eyes because the pain that was circulating my entire body couldn't be ignored. I saw a bald eagle take off from the living room with the blue box in tow.

"No." I muttered weakly. I wanted my box back as tears welled up in my eyes and as my body became more aware of the extent of its injuries. What had happened to me? The bear. The bear had knocked me across the room like a football punt. What a jerk. Seriously? Thats all I could think of as I lay in a heap crying was that a bear was a jerk? I tried to laugh but a hoarse groan came instead. I picked myself up off the floor as I heard the rain start to fall into the living room as the storm picked. I wanted that box...no. I wanted more than that, I wanted an explanation. I wanted answers. Why had I been tossed across my house over a damn box? Why had three birds break into my house like a bugler circus show over this box? What was this box?! I wiped the tears from my eyes as I headed the front door, I opened it and wondered if I should lock it or not. I looked at the patio door. Screw it. I hobbled to the the side of the house where my bicycle was parked. I pulled it off the side of the house and I realized part of the extent of my exhaustion. I could barely push the bike forward, I was done. No way I could follow them. No answers.

"No." I said to myself.

"No..No..NO NO NO!" I started to shout. I had to have it. I wanted to know! I pushed the bike out of the yard and onto the street. I remembered how the birds were with the box. They had a very weak grip so they wouldn't be too high up. If they were real birds (which I knew they weren't) they wouldn't care about the box. They had put up an impossible fight for it so there was no way they would be clumsy with it. I hopped onto the bike and I barely peddled. I turned my eyes skyward and scanned. There! A bird flying all lopsided as it lugged the box through the air. With a new sense of purpose, I pushed forward. My luck finally was on my side, the birds flew in a straight shot and I had to do was stick to the main road. I felt funny, like I was moving through molasses or something.

I did my best to follow them with out looking to obvious but if anyone had taken a good look at the kid riding the street they would have thought a zombie was riding a bike. I had blood running down the cuts on my arms and face staining the white dress shirt I had on. My jeans wear seemingly flawless expect for the dark spots I assumed were blood. The back of my head felt warm and I felt the raining running down my face but it like a third person. I felt it but like through a fog, I knew in that back of my mind I was messed up. I probably had a concussion, most likely going into shock, and I was bleeding everywhere. My need to know was going to get me killed and I couldn't even drive.

I watched the eagle and the three stooges (little humor there) go low and headed for a barn off in a field. I had no idea where I was but I pulled off into the driveway of the first house next to the barn. I leaned bike up against the house and stumbled to the ground. My hands and knees dug into the soft ground, wet with the rain and I was thankful. It had begun to pour with a straight vengeance and I made my way into the barn. I looked in and everyone had there back to me. I peered closer and I nearly died from amazement. The eagle and two of the birds were changing. They grew bigger as their shapes twisted back into a normal body. The eagle's wings slowly changed back into human arms and hands. The proud white head began to change, the beak shrank back into a mouth, the white feathers shifted to the back and became long blonde hair. I knew what was coming next and my mind refused to believe it. The eagle face drew back into a beautiful face that had said hello to me in theater. Rachel. Rachel in a leotard stood where the eagle had been with the blue box in her hands. With my eyes locked on her I had missed the other birds morph. I looked and felt lightheaded. Marco stood there in bike shorts and a white t-shirt. The last one was the the icing on the cake.

Before me stood a strange animal His body was like a sort of strong pale-blue-and-tan deer. But where the deer would have a neck, he had a somewhat human upper body . It looks like the chest and shoulders of a boy. He had two weak-looking arms and a few too many fingers.

His head is where I'd expect to find it, but it was missing one very major ingredient: a mouth.

He had three small slits for a nose and two big, almond-shaped eyes. He also had two other eyes. These are mounted on top of his head on short stalks. And last, but definitely not least, there's the tail. It's like a scorpion's tail, cocked up so that the deadly sharp blade on the end sort of hovers above his shoulder.

My breath was coming and going in ragged gasps, I thought I was going to pass out. But they began to talk.

"Did you have any trouble getting the box?" asked Jake, he seemed to be in charge. The others gravitated around him in a circle.

"Yeah sort of." said marco "Till rachel leveled the side of his house and killed him."

"What?!" A short black girl had been cleaning a cage behind the deer thing so I had missed her. She was standing now.

"I didn't kill him." said Rachel in her defense "I gave him a small love tap." She said the last part with a grin on her face. She had enjoyed knocking me around. What a crazy girl.

It was more then that Rachel.

My eyes snapped up to the red tailed bird sitting on a stall. That was the voice from the house.

You knocked him clean across the room. You over did it.

"Tobias, I called 911 before we left." said Rachel

"Ax?" Jake said

Who was Ax?

He fired on us with a gun. He missed. said the deer thing named Ax

"Yeah what kind of kid knows where his dad keeps the gun? He blew a nice clean hole in the stairwell." said marco making his hands into a massive O.

The Escafil device is ours. said Ax

He took an inch of of my tail with that shot. We were at a stalemate. What Rachel did was necessary but he was innocent. said Tobias

What a weird name for a bird.

"We don't know that." said Jake

"How can you say that?" asked the overall girl

"What do you mean Cassie?" asked Rachel

"He shot at you with a gun, Not a dracon beam. He acted out of fear. If he was a controller he would have turned over the box as soon as he could." said Cassie looking at everyone.

We have a guest. said Tobias

Oops. I had been leaning in to get a better look and I had blown my cover. I stepped forward.

All eyes locked onto me. I must of looked terrible because they went wide.

"It feels worse then I look." I said and I plummeted forward. I remember blue arms and hands with too many fingers reach me before I hit, then the world was a darker place.


End file.
